Ash Misako
Outreach Coordinator

“When I first started attending Conference I was pretty intimidated. It was a conference full of strangers, and worse yet it was strangers who probably knew more than me. Now that I’ve attended Conference numerous times I know that people just genuinely want to share and learn together, so now I feel relaxed among my peers. I started the mentor program as a way to show new attendees early on that we are all part of the same team. Pair new people with ones who started out just as nervous, and help them enjoy the week a little easier.” —Ryan Ouellette, Founder of the Mentor Program

“I remember my first Conference and it was overwhelming. I was lucky to have some friends help me get along. Now that I have been to a few Conferences, I am happy to be that friend. It’s a ‘pay it forward’ kind of thing and I hope people who have benefitted from the program in the past consider helping out someone who might be wearing their old shoes.” —April Thomas, mentor team 2015

The Mentor Program is an amazing system started by Ryan Ouellette. We hope that we are building small Conference families that can work together as a group and lean on each other for support. We have seen great progress and have had wonderful feedback. We look forward to continuing this program for many years to come.

Is this your first year attending the APP Conference and Exposition? Do you have questions that you would like answered? Do you need help selecting your classes, or would you simply like to have a friend before you get to Vegas? The APP mentor program is here to help! If you are a first or second year attendee and would like some assistance from a mentor chosen specifically for you, please email mentor@safepiercing.org with your name, telephone number, and contact email address and MENTEE in the subject line. There is no deadline for signup, but the earlier you enroll the more you will get out of the program. We are excited that you are coming this year and cannot wait to meet you!

Our mentors are experienced conference goers that want to ensure that the new faces at Conference have the best time possible. They are there to answer questions, remind you to drink your water and get some sleep. They are also there to support if you become overwhelmed, need a little reassurance or just advice on where to get the best chicken and waffles or vegan donuts. We use information collected to best match mentors with mentees based on similar interests, areas of knowledge, and similar schedule needs. Our goal is create a mentor family. We do this by grouping three or four mentees to a mentor based on a survey we conduct. This group can then use each other for support, reference, and a stepping stone to Conference as a whole.

We sincerely want each and every one of our new attendees to get the most out of Conference and hope the support that the mentor program offers makes this possible.

If you have any questions about the mentor program, becoming a mentor, or being a mentee at Conference, please do not hesitate to contact anyone on the mentor team. The 2015 Mentor Team consists of Ash Misako, April Thomas, Billy Wood, and Kendra Jane.

“I felt so honoured to become part of this program because I remember my first Conference. I was terrified. I latched on to someone that I considered a mentor and didn’t leave their side. I hope that anyone coming for the first time has the opportunity to have someone near them that is looking out for them. No one should feel like an outsider their first year.” —Ash Misako, Outreach Coordinator